


Not so Bad

by AshsHorrorShow



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Bullying, Cute, F/M, Feelings, Friendship, Gen or Pre-Slash, Guilt, M/M, Short, Snark, Takes Place During Power of Three, apprentices, could be read as platonic, rivalries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 11:30:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15460395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshsHorrorShow/pseuds/AshsHorrorShow
Summary: Lionpaw is starting to think there is more to Berrypaw than he originally thought.





	Not so Bad

Lionpaw flinched as a wet and stinging sensation hit his cheek, letting out an involuntary hiss of pain out through his teeth. Out of pure reflex, he wanted to swipe at the cat causing him pain with claws unsheathed, but he held back and instead sunk his claws into the dirt of the den, reminding himself that the cat who was doing this to him was his brother, who was only trying to help. 

Besides, if he laid one claw on Jaypaw, he highly doubted he would live to tell the tale… at least with most of his pelt intact, anyway. 

He almost wished Leafpool was here. She would probably be gentle about the whole process with him. Jaypaw however, seemed entirely unsympathetic to his plight. Rolling his blind, blue eyes, the grey tom commented, “It’s a good thing StarClan gave you the gift to not get hurt that badly in battle, because you can’t seem to handle even the slightest bit of pain. I’ve tended to _kits_ who have handled marigold better than you.”

Lionpaw rolled his eyes, but held the comment dancing at the edge of his tongue. After all, he had already made enough cats annoyed and angry with him today. He was currently sitting in the medicine cat den, with Jaypaw and Hollypaw sitting beside him. This was not too unusual of a scenario. Whenever Leafpool left the den for whatever reason, it wasn’t too uncommon for the three of them to gather here and quickly discuss things with one another. Unless there had been a battle recently, the cats of ThunderClan usually didn’t flock over to the medicine cat’s den, so it usually gave them at least a bit of privacy. 

However, today the three weren’t there to discuss the prophecy with one another. No, instead, they were in there because Lionpaw had a small wound on his cheek. He couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, heat rising from his fur. He wasn’t used to being wounded. The only cats who’d ever been able to lay blows on him ever at this point in his life were Tigerstar and Hawkfrost… 

And those were very special circumstances. They weren’t ordinary cats.

Ever since StarClan had blessed him with the gift of being able to battle cats, seemingly without being harmed, he’d gotten used to the idea that no ordinary cat could ever hurt him.

Until today, that is.

But to be fair, how was he supposed to anticipate Berrypaw attacking him like that? After all, Berrypaw was supposed to be his Clanmate.

Unfortunately, no cat in the Clan seemed to be providing him any sympathy. In fact, a lot of them were disgusted with him, Hollypaw included.

And trust him, she let him know that she was not happy with him.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Hollypaw scolded, her tail swishing, “That was a horrible thing to say to Berrypaw.”

A spike of annoyance shot through him. Baring his teeth, he growled, “I don’t know why everyone is getting so mad about this! Did you all conveniently ignore the fact that Berrypaw was insulting me the entire time? But when I defend myself, you all get mad?”

While Lionpaw’s pride wouldn’t allow him to say it, he knew there was actually a flaw to his statement. Hollypaw though, had no qualms about pointing it out.

Narrowing her green eyes, she said, “His insults were generic and we’re used to him being a jerk. You, however, took it to personal territory.”

Lionpaw felt a bit of shame wash through him, knowing she was right. He had done exactly that, and he knew it, despite how much he tried to rationalize it in his mind.

It had all began when Brambleclaw and Ashfur had set the two of them up to practice battle moves with one another. The two of them were supposed to spar, claws sheathed. Things had been going normal with one another for a while. Berrypaw and Lionpaw took turns knocking each other down, Lionpaw acting a bit weaker than he truly was, knowing it’d be suspicious if he whipped out a battle move Ashfur had never taught him out of nowhere… and the two of them were growling out insults at each other.

And by that, it was mainly Berrypaw. 

Lionpaw was beginning to wonder if StarClan had placed a curse on Berrypaw where if he stopped talking at any moment, he would die… and that’s why the cream colored tom always felt the need to have his mouth open. And unfortunately, since Berrypaw had a nasty attitude as well, everything he felt the need to say was mean or arrogant. 

“You got more hair than brains, Lionpaw. Come on, surely you can do better than that?”

“I did better moves as a kit!”

“I expected a bit better from a descendent of Firestar…”

Of course, Lionpaw didn’t take all this verbal abuse lying down. He also quipped back some insults. At one point, he even made a jab about Berrypaw losing more than just his tail, which was a jab he was particularly proud of. 

But at one point, Berrypaw said a comment that really made him mad. He forgot what it had been about at that point. There were so many insults being thrown around that time. He vaguely remembered it had something to do with Heatherpaw. He doubted Berrypaw knew about his and Heatherpaw’s nightly outings. Nothing in his tone and gaze seemed to suggest that he did. He had probably been simply referring to how much time Heatherpaw and him spent at the Gatherings, was looking for any cheap shot he could use. However, the comment still bothered Lionpaw more than he liked to admit. 

So, bristling, he quickly denounced the idea of him having any feelings for Heatherpaw, saying. “I respect the code, as any Clan-born cat should.” Then, deciding to go for a cheap shot, he added, “If we should be worried about anyone, it’s you, Berrypaw. After all, you have the blood of loners inside you.”

He knew the comment was bad the moment it left his lips. However, it had been said, and Lionpaw decided to stick to his guns on it, hoping it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. 

He remembered seeing a flare of anger light up in Berrypaw’s eyes, more intense than he expected. Then, before he could even react, one of Berrypaw’s paws shot out and slashed him across the face, the claws digging into his skin.

It caught Lionpaw so off-guard that he didn’t even react, just simply blinked in surprise after the initial flinch, watching in shock as Berrypaw stormed off, Brambleclaw following close at his heels, yelling at him. 

Even Ashfur looked a bit uncomfortable, as he dismissed training, meowing, “Why don’t you go and get your face checked out… the lesson is over for today.”

And now, he could practically feel everyone looking at him angrily as he walked along to the medicine cat den. It was amazing how fast word got spread around in this Clan. Guilt seeped into Lionpaw’s stomach, causing him to shuffle his paws uncomfortably. 

Hollypaw kept going without mercy though. She said, “You not only insulted Berrypaw, but you also insulted Daisy, Millie, Hazelpaw, Mousepaw, and many other cats. How could you?”

“I’m sorry, alright!” Lionpaw yowled, in an attempt to get her to quiet a bit. He was sick of hearing her nag him about it.

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes even more and coldly said, “I am not the one you should be saying that to.” Then with that, she padded out of the den, making it clear the conversation was over.

Lionpaw sighed and looked to the ground, glad Jaypaw couldn’t see how defeated he looked. Voice tired, he said, “I messed up, didn’t I, Jaypaw.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jaypaw said plainly. Lionpaw couldn’t help but feel just a tad bit hurt. Couldn’t Jaypaw at least be a little bit on his side? Jaypaw looked at him with his blind eyes and meowed, “I think Hollypaw is right. Just apologize and get it over with.”

Lionpaw snorted, “I know I should, but that is easier said than done, seeing as this is Berrypaw we are talking about.” 

If it had been any other cat, Lionpaw might have been more willing. But just the idea of apologizing to Berrypaw and lowering himself like that made him feel sick. 

Jaypaw gave a snort, as if he could see where Lionpaw was coming from but he said, “Either way, I’d say just do it. It will alleviate your guilt. Or you could just not do it and get dirty looks from the whole Clan for a while.” 

Lionpaw sighed audibly and flattened his ears, groaning, “Fine…” 

This was not going to be easy.

\---------------------------------------------------

Lionpaw decided to wait a tad, when emotions weren’t so high, but he quickly found that was probably not the best idea cause now cats were giving him extra dirty looks. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight both had come to lecture him that day, Hollypaw wasn’t even acknowledging him, and Hazelpaw gave him a look so nasty, he actually was worried he would feel pain from staring at it. 

So, taking a deep breath and pushing his pride to the side, he walked over to Berrypaw, who, like always, had Honeypaw sitting loyally by his side. He’d never seen the sweet she-cat look so angry. She looked like she was only one word away from clawing his ears off. 

Berrypaw, seeming to see that Honeypaw was no longer listening to whatever he was saying, turned around to see who she was glaring at, and immediately flattened his ears, his face becoming hardened. Scowling, he simply asked, “What do you want?”

Lionpaw found himself looking away as he said, “May I talk to you?” Then looking quickly at Honeypaw he added, “Alone.”

Honeypaw opened her mouth and looked like she was about to protest, but Berrypaw coolly said, “Fine.” She immediately shut her jaws, looking somewhat disappointed. Surprisingly, Berrypaw actually seemed to notice. Berrypaw looked at her, rolled his eyes, and said, “This ought to be good.” 

Honeypaw immediately grinned, much to Lionpaw’s chagrin. 

After Berrypaw promised her he would come back immediately after they were done, Lionpaw and Berrypaw headed into the woods, Berrypaw’s face turning sour as soon as he turned away from Honeypaw. The two of them walked a bit in an uncomfortably tight silence… at least, that was how it felt for Lionpaw. 

Eventually, once he was sure that they had some privacy, Lionpaw looked Berrypaw in the face and said, “Look Berrypaw, I am sorry about what I said back there. I didn’t mean it. It was the heat of the moment and I regret what I said. I think-”

“It’s alright, I guess.” Berrypaw said, cutting Lionpaw off. The way he said the answer sounded really noncommittal though, like he didn’t really mean it. Lionpaw opened his mouth to say something. What exactly he wanted to say was beyond him. Maybe he wanted to protest Berrypaw cutting him off, maybe he wanted to ask if Berrypaw actually did forgive him, when the cream-colored tom said something that caught him off-guard. “I should be used to it by now, anyways.”

Lionpaw immediately cocked his head and said, “What do you mean?”

Berrypaw looked at him incredulously, like Lionpaw was the biggest mouse-brain he had ever seen. With how much derision was in the tom’s voice, that was probably not to off the mark. Smiling humorlessly, he asked, “Do you really think you are the first cat ever to give me a hard time about being the kit of loners? Almost every single Gathering, my siblings and I got to deal with one comment or another.”

Lionpaw was about to say something, but Berrypaw continued. Flicking an ear, he meowed, “It’s actually ironic so many of the cats in the Clan got defensive when you said that, cause trust me, a lot of them didn’t want my siblings and I to join, your father included.” 

He said the last part kind of bitterly. Lionpaw almost didn’t want to believe it. His father always seemed so kind and understanding, it was hard for him to think of him wanting to reject Daisy, who’d practically helped raise Lionpaw when he was a kit. But he could tell by the look on Berrypaw’s face that he was telling the truth.

“I didn’t know-” Lionpaw began, but once again, Berrypaw once again interrupted.

“I just thought you of all cats would understand, seeing as your related to Firestar, who was a kittypet, is all.” Berrypaw said, with a shrug, causing Lionpaw to wince. “But it’s alright in the end. It’s not like we like each other all that much to begin with. I am sorry for slashing you across the face.”

Lionpaw nodded and said, “It’s alright. You didn’t hurt me that bad.” Berrypaw nodded.

Then for a moment, it was just awkwardly silent, Lionpaw feeling somehow more emotionally conflicted than he had been before. Berrypaw, probably taking the silence as a sign to leave, he said, “Thank you for your apology, now if you excuse me-”

Right as Berrypaw was turning to leave and no doubt head back to Honeypaw, Lionpaw suddenly felt a strange need to not let it end like this. This whole apology still felt incomplete in a way. He had to word this better, or he’d never forgive himself.

“You’re tougher than most warriors, you know,” Lionpaw meowed, causing Berrypaw to freeze.

Berrypaw turned his head and looked at Lionpaw in confusion, saying, “What?”

“I am saying that you are a really good fighter,” Lionpaw said, awkwardly, feeling kind of embarrassed. He never thought he’d toss compliments at Berrypaw of all cats, but it was too late, he already said it. 

Berrypaw’s amber eyes narrowed in confusion, as if he was expecting that this was the set up to a prank of some kind. Growling and flattening , he said, “Look, you already apologized. You don’t need to pander to me because you feel guilty-”

“I am not trying to pander! I am being honest,” Lionpaw hissed, his shoulders bristling. He saw Berrypaw blink in surprise. Taking advantage of the cream and white tom’s rare silence, he continued with a lash of his tail, he meowed, “Look, I’ve sparred with you countless of times now, and you know why? Cause you are one of the few who can keep up with me. You make me work harder than most when it comes to fighting. I’ve downed warriors faster than I’ve downed you.” 

“Have you ever downed me?” Berrypaw commented, with a smirk.

“Don’t make me regret this.”

“Sorry,” Berrypaw said, though he didn’t sound all that apologetic. Well, Lionpaw supposed that was his fault for thinking Berrypaw wouldn’t at least take one opportunity to stroke his own ego. 

“So, don’t let them get to you. You’ll be a great warrior to ThunderClan, no matter your origins. You, Hazelpaw, and Mousepaw will most definitely be. And if any cat dares to insult you about it at the Gathering,” Lionpaw sank his claws into the ground, “Make sure to make them rethink that statement next time they’re in battle.” 

Berrypaw blinked once more in surprise, as if he was mulling over what Lionpaw just said. Lionpaw sat in uncomfortable silence, embarrassment growing in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t use to giving compliments so openly like that.

He braced himself for the mocking that he was sure was going to come, but instead, Berrypaw smirked and said, “I am actually surprised, Lionpaw. That was actually kind of an uplifting speech.” 

Lionpaw couldn’t help but find himself smirking as well. “Thanks. Don’t get used to it though.”

Berrypaw said, “Trust me, I don’t want to. I think it’d be weird if we acted all chummy with one another.”

“Agreed,” Lionpaw meowed. 

“Alright, alright. I forgive you, mouse-brain. Now let’s head back before Honeypaw tracks me down. We left at sunset after all, and it’s getting dark.” Berrypaw said, already making his way back to the camp. Lionpaw saw the darkening sky and he realized Berrypaw was right. He hadn’t even noticed. He trotted after Berrypaw. 

All of a sudden, the cream colored tom bumped his shoulder and said, “Also don’t worry about your Clanmates. Trust me, they will forgive and forget by the next day probably… Hollypaw being the exception, maybe.” 

Lionpaw nodded. Then, with that, Berrypaw and him continued towards the Clan, until they finally reached the entrance and Berrypaw sped up to go join Honeypaw, who was loyally waiting at the end of the apprentice den. 

Lionpaw watched him go, surprised as he realized that maybe Berrypaw wasn’t as bad as he thought. 

And he made a mental reminder to give any cat who said any snide comment about Berrynose or his siblings a good cuff on the ear.

**Author's Note:**

> I love this ship honestly. 
> 
> Kind of got inspired by my other fic involving these two where I mentioned Lionblaze would stand up to cats who gave Berrynose, Mousewhisker, and Hazeltail a hard time about their origins and decided to write a fic on it. Might make a small "second chapter" where he actually does that, but we will see. 
> 
> As always, critique is wanted, and I hope you all have a great day!
> 
> If you see a mistake, feel free to point it out and I will fix immediately.


End file.
